On my way home the other day, I noticed a few Phlox hoodii in bloom on the eroded clay slopes along the Bow River uplands bike path.
Comments
Re: Phlox hoodii
You are lucky, Lori! I can never notice something like that here. The Norwegian native flora is rather poor compared with other countries (maybe due to glaciation).
Re: Phlox hoodii
Lori
I have always grown P. hoodii ssp. hoodii in my gardens. I love the drought tolerant little creeper. with it's little white notched crosses.
Since moving to Nevada I have been introduced to ssp. canescens more of a cushion former with fuller flowers and no notch on the petals but the same prickly foliage. Two weeks ago on a Nevada Native Plant Society field trip we found it in full bloom on, dry north facing slopes. Out of the hundreds of snowy white flowering plants we saw a nice light pink one stood out from the crowd. Needless to say it got our full attention (well for a few minutes anyway).
I have encountered P. hoodii plants with just a hint of pink on the Northern Great Plains, but never a pink colored one.
These photos are of Phlox hoodii ssp. canescens
Wish I could grow this! P. hoodii was the first western phlox I'd ever seen and seeing them in bloom in late April on Nose Hill, Calgary was always a highlight on my spring trips there.